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Harris-Walz Campaign kicks off HBCU Homecoming Tour to reach Black voters

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  September 28, 2024 6:24pm EDT
Kamala Harris
FOX 5 Atlanta
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North Carolina A&T's marching band performs during halftime of Howard University's 93rd annual Homecoming game, on Saturday, October 22, at Greene Stadium on campus in Washington, DC. Howard lost the game, 34-7.   (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In an effort to reach more young Black voters ahead of election day, Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz have kicked off their Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Homecoming Tour. They're targeting institutions in the key battleground states.

With less than 40 days to go until the vote is in for the next President of the United States, Harris and Trump have been fighting fiercely to win over the undecided voters in the swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Nevada.

Both candidates have recognized the key to winning the election is also in appealing to Gen-Z and millennials.

In fact, there has been a recent spike in voter registration among young people. Voters under the age of 35 accounted for 81% of new registrations on National Voter Registration day, according to Vote.gov.

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Homecoming is a unique time of year on an HBCU campus. It's not just a celebration of history and culture, but a time to honor the leaps and bounds Black Americans have made for a fair shot at higher education.

The current student body is always visited by hundreds, sometimes thousands of alumni – including famous ones. The proud graduates with children often bring the next generation of HBCU leaders to enjoy the football games and family-friendly campus events.

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The audience watches as a decorated car drives on the parade route during Jackson State University's Homecoming Parade. (Jackson State University via Getty Images)

Harris and Walz' tour began at Winston-Salem State University on Sept. 28. The campaign hosted a tailgate in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene for the WSSU vs. Bowie State University game in North Carolina.

Of all the stops, Howard University's is expected to be extra special. Not only is VP Harris a proud Bison, but she's also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a historically Black sorority which was founded on the D.C. campus in 1908. Alumni will be celebrating the school's historic 100th homecoming alongside the Democratic candidate for president.

The pair will round out the tour with two stops in Georgia.

Here are the HBCUs and corresponding dates on their schedule:

  • Sept. 28 – Winston-Salem State University
  • Oct. 12 – Lincoln University
  • Oct. 12 – Virginia State University
  • Oct. 19 –  Howard University
  • Oct. 19 – North Carolina A&T State University
  • Oct. 26 – Morehouse College
  • Oct. 26 – Spelman College
  • More campus visits may be pending

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump was slated to make an appearance at the Georgia-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.